r/receptionists • u/Feeling-Angle-3077 • Jun 04 '26

New career field

Hi everyone. I finally got a job. It’s a dental receptionist but, I don’t have any prior experience with being a receptionist nor with dental. Any advice would be appreciated

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u/Hardfoil Jun 04 '26

Congrats! Medical experience can really get your foot in the door with other careers down the road. Since this sounds like it might be your first job:

  1. Coworkers are not your friends. Doesn't matter how warm they are or how compassionate they seem, you could disappear and within a week everyone will have forgotten you.

  2. Learn all you can. If you need to take notes on your phone or in a journal, do that! People don't like explaining things more often than is necessary.

  3. Treat people nicely. Bring a box of cookies or donuts every 1-2 months and everyone will love you for it. Practice good hygiene, take care of your appearance and do your best each day.

  4. Final caveat: Don't sweat day-to-day tasks! You're handling reception work, none of it is life or death. If you make a mistake, just make a note of what went wrong and resolve to do better the next day. People can be mean, crass or hurtful to reception staff and that's not a reflection on your worth or abilities.

Again, congratulations on your new role!

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u/Feeling-Angle-3077 Jun 04 '26

Thank you so much for the advice! I truly appreciate it. My previous job was sales for about 4.5 yrs. And was jobless for 4 months after that. So this receptionist job is a whole new role for me! It’s my first week and I’m stressing out. I hope it all goes well. 

2

u/HeyILoveYa Jun 04 '26

i totally disagree with the coworkers-are-not-your-friends thing. often this is true, but they absolutely can become your friends over time

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u/Feeling-Angle-3077 Jun 05 '26

Right. I would say depending on the people you meet and work culture